I am freaking dyslexic light and can only spell moderately well thanks to windows word and more patience than I have. I don't own these characters.
The Soul's heart
Charter 3
Her curls flew in the warm breeze and she beckoned him to join her. He'd never liked the beach but she seemed to enjoy it so…and who was he to deny her anything? They walked down the white sand until she found a spot she liked. He got out the blanket and settled down to watch her running around trying to keep that monstrous hat on. He had teased her for having a hat that covered more than her clothes. She was so cute when she wrinkled her nose and got annoyed with him. He smiled when the wind tried to wrench the hat off and at the same time lift her tiny skirt. He walked up behind her. As he hugged her she turned in his arms to smile at him. He couldn't help himself, he kissed her.
"WHAT?!" Severus sat bold up right in his bed. He felt the cold sweat drenching his body. The bloody Granger girl had sneaked in to his dreams! He flung himself out of bed. Damn mirror! He paced the room's fireplace. Hex the girl! Curse the mirror! Hate them both!
She couldn't have materialised just this year…why did the wrenched little thing have to have always been the one? The one in that accursed mirror… Burn the day the dwarfs made that mirror for that lovesick woman goddess!
He paced and paced. He could have lived with the fact that she was in that blasted thing, but no, she had to sneak into his mind, roam his dreams, and twist his head… Why had he ever returned to this horrid place? Why had he promised the old fool to take care of the school and it's children? Why did Miss Granger have to be so god damn appealing all of a sudden! She was his student… she should have the common decency to be just as uninteresting and unattractive as all the rest of the little shitlings! Oh he knew she was far from the so-called most attractive students but he had never looked twice at those girls. They were students and complete dimwits at that, but little blasted Miss Granger with her full body, messy hair, and sharp wit had waltzed in with that mirror and turned his world upside down.
He slumped down in his big armchair and stared in to the fire. Two days had gone by since he had stumbled upon the mirror. She had tried to act normal but she flushed more than usual for a girl in his class. He was quite certain she didn't fancy him or have any other stupid romantic ideas…he was nearly sure it was only because either she was ashamed by him knowing she saw him in that wretched mirror or she had found out he saw her too. Probably both. She was far too smart and too much of a bookworm not to try to pry every ounce of information out of the library. He closed his eyes. This was not good, not good at all.
"Curse all…" he muttered before he drifted of to sleep once more…still in his armchair.
--
And here he came… it looked like he had had a bad night. He was rubbing his neck. Probably fell asleep in his study. His study… Hermione blushed as the picture of him sitting handsome behind his desk painted it self in her mind. She didn't really know why she had taken to discreetly watch him during mealtimes. Maybe she was curious as to why he was her perfect match…maybe.
"Hermione… I thought you said you'd left the mirror with Snape?" Ron whispered in her ear.
She turned to him "I did. Is it back?"
Ron nodded "Ravenclaw's ogling at it they say"
"Then maybe he forgot it on his desk and some student found it…or something..." Then it dawned on Hermione that she hadn't told her friends about that damn list being far too preoccupied with what it meant for her. She smiled a wicked little smile.
"So Ginny…" she said just a tad louder than necessary, but not suspiciously loud no need for that. Gin looked up from her ham sandwich.
"...You know that mirror of Freja we had some days ago?" Now half the table was pretending not to listen in…good.
Ginny nodded.
"Well I did some research on it and it turns out its more magical than one suspected at first." The noises around the table was dampening.. "I don't recall who it was you saw but he would see you too if he looked in the mirror…"
Both Ginny and Hermione completely failed to look at Harry at that moment.
"Is that so…?" Ginny was calm as a clam…of course it wasn't she who had seen Snape.
"Why do I see anyone at all in there 'Mione?"
Hermione adopted Ginny's cool and nonchalant voice as she continued "Oh... That part was a bit hazy, but from what I could discern…" The entire table was hanging on her every word "The mirror shows your soul's heart…not whom you love personally, but who your soul's match is, I would think."
At those last words the tumult that broke lose at Gryffindor table was deafening. Ginny and Hermione shared a smile.
Seamus and a few others were silent but most were talking rapidly.
"Come off it, Seamus!" Dean insisted. "Hermione did say it had nothing to do with your own personal feelings didn't she…?"
"Fuck off Dean it's still a Slytherin."
Dean patted his friend on the shoulder and decided to spread the good news along to the other tables.
"I think a riot has broken loose" Snape said calmly to Minerva whilst sipping his coffee.
"Oh, I don't think it's that bad. It's probably to do with my lost mirror" she sipped her tea.
"You lost it again? I am very certain I handed it to you."
"Maybe someone nicked from me in an unguarded moment?"
Severus doubted that. Minerva had a cat's hearing and reflexes. Anyone stupid enough to try would be…well Filtch's before they could blink. Dumbledore had been her mentor in more ways than one it seemed. And at that thought Severus went green. He had not meant that thought to sound that way…urgh!
He looked out over the sea of over enthusiastic faces and met to brown eye. He looked away. Mentor in more than one way huh...? How she would laugh at him if she knew his thoughts.
--
"Granger! Granger stop!"
She turned around. So did Harry and Ron who was walking with her. It was Malfoy. The three boys stiffened at the sight of one and other.
Malfoy cleared his throat "I need to speak with Granger. Head business"
Ron eyed Malfoy suspiciously but dragged Harry along and a way from the two "Right… we'll be in Herbology Hermione.." he muttered. Harry only glared at the blond.
"What do you want Malfoy?"
"Snape needs to speak with us after lunch…we have some new assignment apparently." He rolled his eyes to indicate that they had nothing but assignments all the time.
She smiled an exasperated smile "And why, pray, couldn't you tell me this in front of my friends, Malfoy?"
"Oh that one is easy. I can't stand them" He gave her a big grin
Her eyes twinkled not so innocently "And you can stand me…?"
"Of course not, M.B."
She nearly gasped he hadn't called her a mudblood ever since they moved in together! The bastard he wouldn't ever change!
"Miss Bossy." He finished and gave her an even wider grin. She hit him with her books.
"You try a stunt like that again and I'll hex your balls of Malfoy!"
She had to run to get level with her friends.
"What did Malfoy want?" Harry asked.
"Be a jerk." Hermione muttered.
"I thought he had bettered himself…"
"Yes, but polish a turd and it's still a turd" Ron said with a smile. "And speaking of people who should get their act together… What was that you said to Gin at breakfast today?"
"Oh... Only that the person you see in the mirror will see you in the mirror. Without exceptions." Hermione said pointedly. Harry said nothing.
"Is it true Hermione that Ginny revealed to you who she saw in that mirror?" Ron continued unperturbed. "…To bad you forgot who it was." Hermione gave Ron a big smile
"I know exactly who she saw but I couldn't say that so the entire table heard." They smiled. Harry glared at them. They pretended not to notice.
--
After lunch Hermione and Malfoy walked down to the Deputy Headmaster's office. It had puzzled Hermione that it was Snape who dealt with the prefects now that McGonagall was Headmistress but it had turned out it was the Deputy's duties.
"So when are they releasing you father?" Hermione asked her escort as they were walking.
"Not for some time but mothers out and about…under close watch, of course, but never the less out. I have to say it was smart of her to save Potter like that"
"Yes well she wanted to see you again didn't she?"
He smiled "Yes, mother first, Death Eater second."
They knocked on Snape's office door. Hermione felt an unwelcome shiver when she heard his low voice say, "Enter."
They walked in. He was sitting behind his desk… it wasn't the desk in her mirror's view.
"Sit" he said without looking up. They sat.
It took some time for him to stop whatever he was doing and look up at them. This was the usual way with him. But when he did look up it was a slow raising of the head in such a way that his hair that had been draped across his face parted and revealed his dark eyes. Hermione felt a jolt go through her body when this routine was played out. Damn his handsome eyes. Damn his silken hair. Damn that mirror. She would never have noticed had it not been for that damn mirror!
She looked away hoping neither of the other to see her blush.
"Is everything going well?" He asked. By the sound of it he didn't really want to know.
"Yes, sir." Malfoy said.
"Ah…Draco. How are things inside Slytherin? Behind closed doors I mean."
"Remarkably well. The war seems to have made the world better, sir."
"That I believe was it's whole point. And Miss Granger any reports?"
"Yes." She rummaged in her bag and produced five sheets of paper filled with her meticulous righting. "You said last time sir that you didn't want me going on for hours with my report so I took the liberty of writing it down."
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing when he took it. They sat silent for a while as the professor leafed through Hermione's report
He gruffed, "Very well, that was not the reason why I summoned you here." He sighed heavily, "Our honourable Headmistress has misplaced her mirror again it would seem…And because off all the hullabaloo around this…thing of hers she thinks it would be a good thing to have a" he grimaced "A ball in honour of the damned thing."
Hermione blushed beyond crimson.
"So see to it." he snapped at them and handed Malfoy a note. "Here are some details the Headmistress has set up for you… such as a budget and date I suspect."
Malfoy looked at the paper and sighed, "Yes, sir."
He stood up and gave Snape bow. "Come on Granger, there's to much to do."
She glanced at the professor. He didn't return her gaze. "Good day then, Professor."
He waived her off.
This was getting worse.
